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It's not often a viral video is debunked by federal investigators but the FAA has determined that Victor Cruz's admittedly significant skills were exaggerated in a YouTube video. The video depicted
Cruz, the star receiver for the New York Giants, catching a football that appeared to have been thrown from an airplane. As we reported
in November, the video showed him easily catching a ball as a Cessna flies overhead at what looks to be the required 1,000 feet. Cruz makes the catch in the parking lot of what looks like a football
stadium in a built-up area and that's what caught the attention of the FAA. As many AVweb readers had also determined (through mathematical, anecdotal and plain common sense deduction) the
agency quickly found out the pilot of the Cessna did not allow an object to be dropped from the plane against federal regulations. They took a more direct route to that conclusion.

"Our inspectors interviewed the Giants' promotions staff," an FAA spokesman told AVweb. Plenty of others had asked the same basic questions but while Cruz and the Giants were coy with the
media and Twitter followers, they apparently 'fessed up right away when the feds came knocking. The agency didn't give away any secrets as to how the video trickery was performed. As fakes go, it was
fairly elaborate, right down to the guy with the handheld radio apparently talking to the pilot. Have a look at our letters section
to see a few examples of how AVweb readers reached their conclusions.

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A couple of months after making the first-ever flight of a jet aircraft on 100-percent biofuel, Canada's National Research Council is applying the knowledge it gained in that effort to help the FAA
find a drop-in replacement for 100LL. The NRC will conduct a comprehensive series of experiments and evaluations of five potential avgas substitutes at the government-run facilities in Ottawa. NRC
director of flight operations Tim Leslie said in a podcast interview that NRC had planned to do the research independently but it has now agreed to
cooperate with the FAA's effort in a fundamental way.

Like the FAA, NRC decided to test the alternative fuels in high-powered Lycoming engines, which power the majority of the aircraft that need 100 LL. At the request of the FAA, NRC will instead use
Continental engines in the tests and the cooperative effort will cover almost all of the engines that might be affected. The exception is radial engines still used commercially by some operators and
in warbirds. NRC will test five 100 LL alternatives, including Swift and Gami fuels along with 94 UL and very low-lead gasoline. It will also include a Canadian entry from the same company that
produced the jet fuel Leslie burned in the NRC's Falcon business jet. Meanwhile, the NRC and its partners in the jet-fuel experiment are celebrating a tip of the hat from Popular Science magazine. It
named the biofuel flight as one of the top 25 scientific achievements in 2012. It was the only aviation-related effort to make the list.

File Size 8.8 MB / Running Time 9:34

Canada's National Research Council recently flew the first flight using 100 percent biofuel in a Falcon business jet, and the NRC is now applying that research in a study that will parallel the
FAA's work to find a suitable unleaded replacement for 100LL. AVweb's Russ Niles spoke with the NRC's Tim Leslie.

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A banner posted on the FAA's popular preliminary accident and incident notices page as late as Thursday afternoon told visitors the service will be discontinued at the end of the year, but actual
human beings at the FAA have told AVweb otherwise. The site provides preliminary information, updated daily, regarding the most recent aircraft accidents. It maintains the information in a
rolling database covering the preceding 10 days. The banner sparked a few emails to AVweb, which prompted our emails to the FAA. Responses from contacts there unequivocally stated that the
banner message was posted in error.

AVweb brought the service termination message to the attention of FAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs Laura Brown, who responded plainly. "That's wrong. Our web team is on
top of this and that will not happen. I'll get that pulled off the page. It IS used extensively." In other words, regardless of the posted message, the FAA says don't worry about losing access to the
preliminary accident and incident notices page. As of Thursday, night, the termination message was
removed.

The Biggest Aviation Show on the Planet ... Is Back!
The award-winning hit TV series The Aviators is back for an all-new third season showcasing everything from the F-22 and DC-3 to LSA and balloons. We take you dogfighting in the Nevada
desert, flying with the USAF Thunderbirds, and look on as Mötley Crue frontman Vince Neil learns to fly. Join our 10 million weekly US viewers and countless more worldwide.

A county audit has found that managers at the Los Angeles county Sheriff's Department dispatched aircraft for personal reasons, costing the county tens of thousands of dollars, the LA Times
reported, Thursday. The county audit was prompted in part by allegations that misuse of county aircraft was impacting response to emergency calls. The audit found no support for that claim, but did
find improper use that included a trip to Connecticut in a county aircraft that cost the county $35,000. According to the audit, a commercial flight could have performed the same task faster and for
significantly less money. Another flight involved carrying the daughter of a commander to his retirement party. Still, a department spokesperson called the audit an "exoneration."

According to department spokesman Steve Whitmore, the audit's findings exonerated the air support division because the most serious allegations facing the department were not supported by the
audit's findings. Specifically, no evidence was found that the activities delayed emergency response or that misuse of aircraft was involved in time sheet manipulation or any attempts to collect
additional overtime pay. Whitmore said that the sheriff does not accept "questionable uses" of public resources and that the department "is prepared to correct anything that needs correcting." The
allegations were initially made public in March, at which time the LA Times says the office's captain responded by noting that one of the accusers had himself previously flown two relatives on a
department helicopter, picking them up from northern Los Angeles County and flying them to LAX.

The former director of a flight school in New Zealand, Ravindra Pal Singh, 65, has been found guilty by a local District Court judge of separately assaulting two student pilots while providing
instruction to them in the air. One student testified that Singh had slapped him in the face and pushed his head into the side of the cockpit. Another student said Singh elbowed her on several flights
and raised his hand above her head in a manner that was threatening. Singh argued that the accusations were levied by poorly performing students who were in the county on visas that he was not
inclined help extend. The judge disagreed with Singh's account in spite of the fact that an arrest warrant has been issued for a third accuser.

The third complainant brought common assault charges and is now wanted on charges of producing forged civil aviation documents. A fourth complainant also brought common assault charges. Both of
those charges were dropped by the court. Singh still faces other charges in the case and sentencing will take place after all charges have been heard by the court. Singh had operated Palmerston North
flying school in New Zealand until last summer, when he shut down operations. The school catered to Indians, and Singh said it operated well until he became more stringent on visa extensions and
student complaints prompted him to close down.

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On the AVweb Insider blog, Paul Bertorelli contends that spending $170,000 to equip an LSA with dual-redundant glass and an autopilot just to tool across the county for a burger raises an
obvious question: Why not fly these things IFR? This turns out to be a gray area, rules wise, but it can be done if certain sensible limitations are observed.

Yeah, we all know it's a great film, but did you ever stop to think why? Paul Bertorelli has been up late recently watching movies and explains some interesting points about this classic aviation
film of the Korean War in his latest post to the AVweb Insider blog.

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Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that's particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as
our "Letter of the Week," and we'll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a "thank you" for interacting with us (and the rest of our readership). Send us your comments and
questions using this form. Please include your mailing address in your e-mail (just in case your letter is our "Letter of the Week"); by
the same token, please let us know if your message is not intended for publication.

Letter of the Week: Not for Pantywaists

In regards to your drop zone pilot's nail-biting video, I think this pilot's operations are completely unwarranted, unnecessary,
and unsafe. You've heard the one about old, bold pilots and  really, to save a few minutes? Having said that, it is a cool video, and I admire his skill.

When I was in flight training at a university, my instructors seemed to think I was overly cautious, with one even calling me a pantywaist when I turned back from a cross-country with a huge storm
approaching.

Really? I'm flying one of your brand-new $130,000 aircraft, and I'm being overly cautious? Anyway, I enjoyed the video, and I always enjoy your newsletters. Keep up the good work.

Bob Price

I watched the video of the King Air pilot "dropping" into the airport. My first reaction was horror at the stupidity of the pilot. No King Air that I am aware of is approved for aerobatic
flight.

My horror turned to anger as I realized that the idiot continuously placed the aircraft in aerobatic flight while violating the regs regarding the wearing of parachutes during the flight. He did
not have one on. The feds need to find that fellow and ground him, perhaps permanently. There is no excuse for that.

Michael Crognale

I'll Take the Bus

Regarding the potential pilot shortage: About a decade ago, I researched earning a commercial pilot license, and then I
looked at the bigger picture.

I was already working 60 hours a week as a parachute rigger, skydiving instructor, hangar sweeper, fuel truck driver, etc. Earning a commercial pilot license would require working for another two
or three years at a jump school (to earn the minimum 1,000 hours to move up to fancier airplanes). Forget about duty time regulations for "seasonal" work flying skydivers!

I would then graduate to starvation wages flying freight in "beater" aircraft (partial panel, rough-running engines, into steep mountain valleys, known icing, etc. on split shifts or at o'dark
thirty.)

A friend flew freight for a year in Alaska and concluded that it was pure luck that he did not slide a Cessna 207 off an icy runway and into a snow bank.

Then I researched driving a city bus. Yes, junior bus drivers still get stuck with split shifts and driving at o'dark thirty, but training is paid for by the bus company. Pay is decent (starting
at $40,000 per year and quickly growing to $60,000) with reasonable benefits and a union to keep the company on the straight-and-narrow on duty times, sick leave, etc.

After that cost-benefit analysis, I chose a career driving a bus.

My heart may still be in the sky, but the money is in buses.

Rob Warner

The fears of an impending pilot shortage fail to consider how free market forces will correct any imbalances. Since all market supply-and-demand relationships seek a natural equilibrium, any pilot
shortage will automatically attract new pilots into the system.

The impact of the 1,500-hour rule will follow a predictable path:

Higher requirements will cause a disruption in the supply of pilots, eventually causing a short-term imbalance between pilots and pilot positions.

Companies needing pilots will sense the shortage and begin competing for the limited resources by offering higher salaries for those positions.

Seeing the higher compensation, new pilot resources will decide it advantageous to enter the market.

So long as #1 remains true, then #2 and #3 are certain to follow until the imbalance is corrected.

The aviation market is unusual in that the non-monetary benefits of piloting are a much larger portion of the overall reason for labor resources to enter the market. Although this will result in a
lower than average wage for their equivalent skillset, it does not suspend the natural laws of economics. Pilot salaries will eventually rise to attract new resources to meet the demand, and, at
worst, there will be a short-term shortage.

Shannon Bonneau

Daydream Believing

Regarding the "Question of the Week": I'd use a $2,000 windfall mostly in fuel to share the experience of
aviation with the young and the old. It is how our forebears experienced aviation in the 1920s and '30s, and it would be appropriate for me since my plane is an antique.

David Bullen

I would upgrade the interior of my Cessna 150, get a good exterior paint job, replace one nav/com radio and be ready to offer it for sale when it becomes necessary.

Rose Dickeson

After 13-plus years of flying, I would upgrade my equipment with a Zulu headset, ADS-B receiver, and flight cam. I have already have an iPad with ForeFlight.

Colin Maitland

Fantasy Cruz

Victor Cruz's catch was fantastic  as in "fantasy football." If the plane was 1,000' up and the football took five seconds to
reach Victor, the ball's average velocity was 136 mph. Top quarterbacks throw at 45 mph. A clever fake. Victor still gets my vote for initiative.

Steve Evans

I vote for Photoshopping. As hard as it is to accurately drop flour bombs from 50 feet AGL, I can't imagine dropping anything accurately enough to be caught as depicted from 1,000 feet AGL. From
that height, it would be hard to get the football into the stadium, let alone close enough to the receiver that he would only have to move the two feet the video shows. As the MythBusters like to say,
"Possible but improbable."

Cary Alburn

Looks fabricated, as there is no "trajectory" to the inbound path of the ball. If the plane is moving 70-75 knots, then so is the ball as it is on its way down. The ball seems to drop straight
down to the "receiver" with a forward speed of zero.

Supposing the winds were exactly correct to alter the balls drop to the ground, it might be possible. But I don't think this is the case here.

Ron Harger

Come on, guys. Do some research (and apply basic physics) before reporting. This is clearly a fake.

The total time the ball is in flight is less than four seconds. If you apply the standard formula x = (1/2)*(a)*(t^2) (where a = 32 ft/sec2 and
t = 4 seconds), the result yields a height of 256 feet for the alleged drop  and that would be in a vaccum. It would be even lower if you account for air resistance.

Additionally, the height of the stadium wall is approximately 150 feet, and the aircraft is clearly more than 100 feet above that.

Read AVmail from other weeks here, and submit your own Letter to the Editor with this form.

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AVweb is actively seeking out the best FBOs in the country and another one, submitted by you, will be spotlighted here next Monday!

No-Cost SocialFlight App Reaches 10,000 Users,3,000 Aviation Events and Adds Social Networking for Pilots
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Glass panels have become standard in new aircraft, and now that more legacy airplanes are retrofitted with these systems, there's a growing market for backup gyros. That market has
clearly stated a preference: Backup glass units are making inroads. In this AVweb video, Larry Anglisano of Aviation Consumer and Kirk Fryar of Sarasota Avionics give us a tour of the
L-3 Trilogy.

FK Lightplanes has significant presence in Europe but almost none in the U.S. They'd like to change that with a sporty little aerobatic biplane called the FK-12 Comet. Right now,
it's got a Rotax 912, but it will soon have a fully aerobatic Lycoming AEIO-233, making it one of only a couple of light sports approved for aerobatics and the only biplane. AVweb recently
took a spin in the Comet with Hansen Air Group's Mitch Hansen. Here's a video report.

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Traditional Tactics Need a Fresh Approach
Doing the same thing and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Isn't it time to initiate a digital marketing program with AVweb that will deliver traffic and orders
directly to your web site? Discover several new and highly successful marketing options to use in lieu of static print or banner campaigns.
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Heard anything funny, unusual, or downright shocking on the radio lately? If you've been flying any length of time, you're sure to have eavesdropped on a few memorable exchanges. The ones that
gave you a chuckle may do the same for your fellow AVweb readers. Share your radio funny with us, and, if we use it in a future "Short Final," we'll send you a sharp-looking AVweb hat
to sport around your local airport. No joke.

AVwebFlash is a twice-weekly summary of the latest news, articles, products, features, and events featured on AVweb, the world's premier independent aviation news resource.

The AVwebFlash team is:

PublisherTom Bliss

Editorial Director, Aviation PublicationsPaul Bertorelli

Editor-in-ChiefRuss Niles

WebmasterScott Simmons

Contributing EditorsMary GradyGlenn Pew

ContributorsKevin Lane-Cummings

Ad CoordinatorKaren Lund

Avionics EditorLarry Anglisano

Have a product or service to advertise on AVweb? Your advertising can reach over 225,000 loyal AVwebFlash, AVwebBiz, and AVweb home page readers every
week. Over 80% of our readers are active pilots and aircraft owners. That's why our advertisers grow with us, year after year. For ad rates and scheduling, click here or contact Tom Bliss, via e-mail or via telephone [(480) 525-7481].

Click here to send a letter to the
editor. (Please let us know if your letter is not intended for publication.)

If you're having trouble reading this newsletter in its HTML-rich format (or if you'd prefer a lighter, simpler format for your phone or handheld device), there's also a text-only
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